Drive-wheel.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN E. OSMER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.-

DRIVE-WHEEL.

To all whom it may concem:

Be it known that I, JOHN E. OsMER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Drive-Wheels, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to the wheels of electric railway cars and othervehicles. I have herein illustrated the invention as applied to thewheels of the motor trucks of electric railway cars. In such trucks, themotor is supported upon the axle, the pinion upon the armature shaftmeshing with a spur gear which is ordinarily mounted upon the axleadjacent to the car wheel. By reason of the space thus occupied by thegear, the supports for the motor are necessarily placed nearer thecenter of the axle than is desirable, thereby causing a greater stressupon the axle than would result if a wider bearing for the motor werepossible.

It is one of the objects of the invention to so arrange the gear thatthe supports for the motor may be placed at points upon the axle closeto the wheels, thereby obtaining a wider or greater bearing surface forthe motor structure.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved means fortransmitting the torque of the motor to the car wheel so as to pnleventplacing twisting stresses upon the ax e.

A further object is to lessen the cost of manufacture, by dispensingwith extension hubs for the gear or the car wheel.

In the accompanyin drawings, Figure l is a side elevation 0% acombination car Wheel and drive gear embodying the features of myinvention. Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken in the plane of dotted line2 2 in Fig. 1.

The embodiment herein shown comprises a car wheel having a flanged tread1, a hub 2 of the size commonly employed for standard car wheels, and aweb 3. It will be understood that the wheel may be provided with spokesin lieu of the web 3, if desired. Integral with the web or spokes is anannular flange or rim 4 formed concentric with the hub 52. Upon theperiphery of said flange is a rigidly mounted gear ring 5. In thisinstance the gear ring is mounted upon the Specification of LettersPatent.

Application filed August 30, 1909. Serial No.

Patented Dec. 28, 1909. 515,200.

outer periphery of the flange 4. Said gear ring may be integral e.non-sectional), as herein shown, and may be secured in placeby'shrinking or pressing it upon the flange 4, the latter preferablybeing machined. Said flange 4 is of sufficient width to support the gearring 5 and preferably to provide an annular space 6 at each side of thegear ring to receive a pan or gear casing (not shown) inclosing the gearring and the driving pinion and closely fitting said flange, suitablepacking being employed to prevent leakage of oil between the flange 4and the gear pan. As shown in Fig. 2, the flange 4 and the gear ring 5extend but a short distance from the inner side of the car wheel, andthe hub is of the ordinary length, hence the supports for the motor maybe placed close to the car wheel, thus obtaining a wide bearing for themotor and obviating the serious stress placed upon the axle when thegear is mounted upon the axle, or extension hubs are used.

It will be seen that the power is transmitted directly from the motor tothe car wheel, the gear ring 5 virtually forming a part of the wheel. Ithereby eliminate the liability of breaking the axle or twisting thewheel upon the axle, due to the common method of applying the torque ofthe motor to the axle.

hen it is desirable to remove the gear ring from the flange 4, the wheelis forced off the axle and the gear ring out or expanded and slipped offthe flange.

An advantage of my construction over the axle-mounted gear wheel isthat, in the latter, when the securing devices become defective, thegear wheel generally must be discarded, whereas I dispense withfastenings and obtain the maximum length of service of the gear element.

I claim as my invention:

1. A car wheel provided with an annular flange of less diameter than thewheel and formed integral with said wheel, and a separately formed gearring secured upon the periphery of said flange.

2. A car wheel having a hub of ordinary length, and provided with anannular flange of less diameter than the wheel and formed integral withsaid wheel, the periphery of said flange being machined, and a gear ringshrunk upon said flange, said flange being of being of sufiicient Widthto provide beside sufficient Width to provide beside said gear said gearring a space for a gear pan.

rin a space for the ear pan.

3? A car Wheel hai ing a hub of ordinary I JOHN OSMER' 5 length, andprovided With an annular flange, \Vitnesse's:

and a separately formed gear ring secured 0. PAUL PARKER,

upon the periphery of said flange, said flange GEORGE L. CHINDAHL.

